Ryan Bertrand, who was picked to start Southgate's first game against Malta in October, believes the new manager will be a popular choice among the squad.

"It's definitely a popular choice, I would imagine so," Bertrand told Sky Sports.

"Not only does he encourage confidence and us to play and put authority on games, he understands football and he understands us as players.

"He's been there before, he's played in tournaments for England, he's had good and bad times for England.

"He understands all aspects of the game and that's nice for us as players. He allows us to express ourselves and to do our country proud."

Former England defender Danny Mills, who played with Southgate at Middlesbrough, feels the new boss must take advantage of his bond with the younger players.

"The biggest challenge to be successful is in a tournament," Mills told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"It's an opportunity with a younger group of players. He understands them and they understand him.

"He's more progressive than previous managers in that he engages with individuals and certainly younger individuals on a one-to-one basis and understands them as people rather than just players that turn up every three or four months.

"If you buy into the manager and his philosophy and like the manager, you're going to work a bit harder. I think that's where his real skill-set lies."

Critics have questioned whether Southgate can be ruthless enough at the top level, but former England captain Terry Butcher believes he proved his mettle by dropping Wayne Rooney against Slovenia last month.

"He's the sort of manager I would have loved to play for," Butcher said.

"He has that edge as well. He left out Wayne Rooney and that takes a lot of bottle to leave someone like that out of the team. He's shown he's got that edge, that steel everyone wants."

Former England midfielder Matt Le Tissier, however, predicts Southgate will struggle because of the lack of quality players available to him.